Stand With Van Jones, A Real Patriot
Van Jones is the target of the day for the right-wing attack machine. Will they succeed in driving him from his post as a green jobs adviser to the White House?
Van was a contributing editor for YES! Magazine from 2006 until he went to work at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, so I've had a chance to see how he works. He is among the most patriotic people I've met. I've seen him inspire young inner-city youth and elderly retirees with his focus on solutions that are in the best interest of all of us, and when he speaks, he shows his passion for the people, natural environment, and values that make our country great.
Van is a bridge-builder. He implores disaffected urban youth to not only fight for their own jobs and futures, but to work for a green and clean future that can sustain us all. Then he reminds environmentalists that there must be a place for everyone in their green future, including those who need jobs today. He's led efforts toward what may be our best hope--building the momentum we need to avert climate catastrophe while rebuilding our economy.
"The smartest things we can do in the short term pay for themselves," he told me in a November 2008 interview."If we were to weatherize and retrofit millions of buildings in the United States, the energy cost savings would let you pay for that work in two to four years. So we literally are wasting money, time, and our planet when there are cost-effective, revenue-positive answers here that would put people to work."
This interview with Van Jones took place shortly after the election of Barack Obama and the overwhelming victory of Democrats in Congress, a time when progressives could easily have been gloating over their lopsided victory. Instead, Van Jones invited everyone, especially fellow progressives, to put aside differences and self-righteousness and work with all Americans.
"I think that we've gotten ourselves into a bit of a logjam of accusation and blame on all sides of American politics," he said. "It's time for some of us to give up the addiction to being righteous, being victims, and having the right to be mad at somebody. ... There's still more good in each and every person than there is bad--there is still more reason for us to work together than for us to fight."
A "vast left-wing conspiracy"
Glenn Beck of Fox News is going the other way.
As part of his attack on Jones, Beck claims to have uncovered "a vast, left-wing conspiracy" among those who care about the environment, about working families, and about people of all races.
"All right. You know, what we're uncovering here on this program is complex, and it is -- it takes a lot of our day just to figure out how to explain it to you," Beck said in his July 28, 2009 broadcast.
"And it's complex by design -- you know, it's the vast left-wing conspiracy. The Apollo Alliance combines environmental policy -- the green movement -- with labor and social justice."
A shocking notion, indeed, that we might all work together! Of course this effort is hardly a conspiracy; it's been happening right out in the open; YES! Magazine, for one, has been covering this movement for years. And there's nothing conspiratorial about smart energy policies that makes us less dependent on foreign oil while providing Americans with jobs that can't be sent overseas.
But Beck is correct that it is "vast." It's so big because so many people get on board when they realize that they can be part of a movement that offers all of us a hopeful future.
Standing up
So here's the choice point. If President Obama caves in to the right-wing attack machine with its conspiracy theories and over-the-top accusation, he would not only lose a leader with deep integrity and enormous respect among those who worked so hard for the 2008 election victory. He would also lose a brilliant policy adviser on some of the most important issues of our time. And he will be throwing red meat to the sharks who will inevitably attempt to pick off his top people--the attack machine is already at work on White House climate science adviser John Holdren.
Caving in to these unfounded charges means, in other words, giving up hope of making real change on the issues that matter: health care, climate change, economic restructuring-- the very things that the majority of Americans elected Barack Obama to do. We'll soon see if President Obama and his top staff have the strength to stand up to the right-wing attack machine and if they will carry out the agenda Americans elected them to accomplish.
Get to know Van Jones better:
Van Jones: Beyond the Politics of Confrontation
Meet the man who's convincing the country, and the new President, that the next economy needs to be green and just. Interview by Sarah van Gelder.
Green-Collar Jobs for Urban America
Oakland discovers that green-collar jobs can revitalize its economy and sets out on the path to becoming a 'global green city.'
Two Crises, One Solution
We face devastation of the natural world and violence in human communities. There's a way to solve both these crises.
David Korten: Who is Van Jones?
A former employer who knows Van well corrects the record
Thomas Friedman's New York Times article about Van Jones
Van on the Colbert Report
Follow Sarah van Gelder on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SarahVanGelder
David Roberts: Will Glenn Beck Bring Down Van Jones After All?
Van Jones is certainly guilty of poor judgment, but by no even mildly charitable interpretation is he "a truther," like the media is now saying.
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Glenn Beck is not the reason Jones resigned. Mr. Jones put himself in that position whenever he spoke of being a communist, signed a petition without reading it that blames our government for the 9/11 attacks and did not learn to express his feelings in a different way other than calling his opponents foul names. This is not a person the administration wants to be associated with and I can see why. No matter what any of you think of the good he has done, he has harmed himself and you can't blame anyone else other than Mr. Jones for that.
I will publicly applaud the first democrat to actually agree with you, unfortunately politics being what they are, the dems look at this as a loss (or a scalp, being the racists that they are). It's unfortunate they won't recognize their own hypocrisy. Had this been a republican administration, they'd be all over it, however, that is not the case. This may be true of both sides, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't care what party you're in, or what color you are, if you're un-American, like Van Jones appears to be, you have no place in my country's administration. This White House should have known better. Let's chalk it up to a 'bad hire' and move on.
Obviously our President did cave to the right-wing nutjobs! I am angry and disappointed. I have heard Van Jones speak and read his writing. I was excited when he was chosen to work for the administration. When Glenn Beck started attacking him I expected our President to stand up for him. I worked very hard to help President Obama get elected because I believed those wonderful speeches he made about change and hope. Now I'm losing that hope. I'm starting to fear that those speeches were just words. That our President is just another politician who will say anything to get elected. Look around on HuffPost and you'll see that the Whitehouse has said that the public option in healthcare reform is "negotiable". Where is the "Change we can believe in"? All I've seen lately is more of the same!
Its not just about O doing it. If the left in the community had gotten out to defend him, this probably wouldnt have happened. But we dont.
If this happened to Beck, the right would be out on the street with pitchforks. We just seem incapable of defending our own. O's supporters arent getting out to support his govt and policies - thats what is causing these rollbacks.
You're absolutely right, Zola77. If we don't stand up and defend good people like Van Jones, the right will think they have veto power over everyone the Obama administration chooses to work for change. If that happens, we have no one but ourselves to blame. When are we progressives going to stand up on our hind legs and defend ourselves?! We can't let this Beck/McCarthyism continue. Battle stations!!
Bologna Zola ... O's supporters need to unite under one voice and 1 message and STAY PUT. Our VERY LEFT net radio station has been defending him .. and defending him... and ... But it's getting tougher when he makes such stupid decisions. Today one of staff writers wrote a piece about how DONE he is with OB ... Give us something to hold on to Barack!
Lets face it..Van Jones was done in by his own words.
It doesn't bother you that this man is a self proclaimed COMMUNIST? .....I am beyond words.....
Obama won't defend Van Jones because he knows Glenn Beck is right and he doesn't want any further media coverage. That would bring on too much scrutiny and it's very likely this administration doesn't want that, otherwise even people like you may come to realize you were fooled into thinking these folks actually cared about you and America.
Amen! Well said. It's time to wake up and realize we have all been used. This man has taken advantage of African Americans, Liberals, the climate change movement, animal rights, the poor, etc. It is apparent that his only real concern is himself. He is campaigning on a GLOBAL level now. EPIC FAIL!
Like many other patriots, Mr. Jones has been penalized and demonized for expressing truths and daring to expose the rotten underbelly of the Bush-Cheney cabal. Who among us has not stated the obvious -- that Mr. Bush failed to act responsibly when given clear warnings about the impending doom of 9/11?
It is beyond time for us to demand that Mr. Bush be held accountable for his multiple crimes. It is unpatriotic to close our eyes to the treasonous activities of the Bush-Cheney administration, pretending even for a moment that Mr. Bush or Mr. Cheney "kept us safe," did not break laws, did not violate the public trust and did not abuse the power of the office they usurped and diminished.
Mr. Bush likes to say that history will be the judge. If that is so, Mr. Jones may well be viewed as a hero and a patriot, a person with the courage to express doubts instead of meekly accepting the nonsense that Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney and their enablers like to present as the truth. Mr. Jones' views were very much reflective of the mainstream, regardless of what the media and the radical right like to pretend as they attempt to whitewash and rewrite history.
hear, hear!!
Mr. Bush was not a COMMUNIST.
Out of the mouth comes the affairs of the heart. It is so sad to see the venom being spewed forth out of the mouths of our leaders and their underlings. What happened to Van Jones was his own undoing. If the video feed is on, keep your comments positive or constructive. If Van Jones is a good leader, we may never see that come through unless he is willing to change how he views "opponents
It's refreshing to hear Van Jones say what many politicians and advisors are too petrified to mention. His "@ssholes" comment was priceless. Many conservatives are that and more. Hope he hangs around long enough to really shake things up.
It's amazing that the term "@ssholes" can be heard everywhere on the street and in suburban shopping malls, on programs like South Park and The Simpsons, on late night TV and in households across America, but when Van Jones uses the word he is supposed to give up his job developing thousands, if not millions of green jobs in this country because of the ravings of Glenn Beck, teletubby extraordinaire!
Glenn Beck's recent hysterical and subjective rant on symbolism in the Art Deco sculptures in NYC that were done by the WPA and FAP back in the 1930s was manic and absurd. Its purpose apparently, was to incite fear, rage, and social instability among the know-nothings. Are we to believe that stylistic art done 75 years ago is scary and a harbinger of evil to come? Glenn had better stay out of museums, libraries, theaters and opera houses. His head might explode.
Van Jones is brilliant and dedicated and our country just lost the services of someone who was an asset to our economic future. We need a green economy and Americans still need those jobs.
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Thank you for your comments. You're on target. In my mind the REAL issue is the fact that right wingers seem to be successful and driving out administrators and advisors.
HI, I'm A conservative and very nice I am not a a-hole like you think..
I bet you would not say that if you got to know me!! We just differ politicall
Based on the tone of your message, I sure I would like you. My apologies to you. So many extreme right wingers cause me to take on a very strident tone. Obviously, you're different.
My God man! ......He is a COMMUNIST.
With unemployment at almost 10% our nation deserves better and Obama deserves better than someone like Jones getting a job. His comments on Israel are not aceptable! The rest is all FOX fluff. But we deserve better people than Jones. We will lose the next election if we let him keep his job.
Color of Change http://www
Please don't, it's un-American and undignified, just like Mr. Jones... plus, it will be completely ineffective.
I too, have been waiing for some statesman in the GOP ( I can't think of a single one) who will stand up and say that the nonsense of calling this president a Nazi/Socia
Ms. van Gelder:
Thanks for writing this. I must say, given your title, I thought there'd be some kind of petition supporting Mr. Jones at the end of your essay that we could click and sign. I guess I can use the website to contact the White House on his behalf, huh?
Also, you reminded me, in hoping that these misguided zealots don't win out on this, that these same zealots are cheering because the President's staff positions aren't being ok'd by congress. Who ARE these people?
I'm so offended by this last administra
I could not agree more. It is reprehensible what Beck is doing -- and getting away with! Now is the time for someone in the GOP to stand up and say "Have you no decency, sit" to the gathering mob. Too bad it won't happen.
He brought the truth to light, would you have our media keep quiet on these things if it were a GOP czar? I doubt it. You really should quit taking all your view from Keith Olbermann and HuffPost and get out more.
Thanks for your fair minded wisdom allamericanmale.
Obama just gave a great and needed lecture to school kids today. However, I did not approve until the lesson plan "How you can help your President" was removed. By the way, when George Herbert Walker Bush did the same thing in 1991 the democrats were calling for congressional hearings for his attempt to "brainwash" our kids even though he gave the same benign speech to the kids that Obama did. The left gets psyched up by Keith Olberman as much or more as the right does by Beck, except they are hypocritical about it.
Read Rand.
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